The big haul ...

8 years ago

Look what I walked away with at my 1st local C&S Lovers Beachside Exchange. It is a FREE, members-only, twice yearly exchange event with workshops and a few vendors, sponsored by one of our local Facebook groups and the municipality. Members confirm attendance by adding to the potluck lunch. There is no other expenditure.

I walked in with one box of goodies to share and walked out with two ... I must've added over 20 new items to my collection from this one event! What a great group of like-minded collectors. It was like being with family.

Since most of mine are desert cactus, I was looking for beauties that bloom in the tropics, which would be gymnocalycium, mamillaria, melocactus, discocactus, uebelmannia, and some capiapoa.

Featured Answer

socks

8 years ago

Wow. How fun for you. I’m sure others equally enjoyed the items you brought.

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Comments (9)

Laura F (z9FL)
8 years ago
Geez! you got a lot. I know you are excited to get some cactus (cacti). Sounds like the event was a lot of fun. Laura.
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked Laura F (z9FL)
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Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Wow lots of goodies;)! Love getting new plants.

Are these two the same and are they Acanthocereus tetragonus 'Fairy Castles’? The back one is huge;). Good specimen;).
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a)
Original Author
8 years ago
LOL, there were people with some gigantic monster mega cactus I'd never seen before ... One was a gigantic pad opuntia with black spines and yellow glochids.
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a)
Original Author
8 years ago
The Acanthocereus tetragonus and the Euphorbia trigona rubra are mine ... I was just repotting them. The other one looks like the A. tetragonus but I'm not sure it's the same plant. All the pups are small ... There are no tall segments. It looks like a Christmas tree!
tropicbreezent
8 years ago
Cacti can be a bit problematic in the tropics, but getting them from local growers means they should do well. I had a large one that struggled through a few wet seasons but came good during the dry. Eventually though, we had a wet season that took it out. The only one now dies away during the wet season but bits grow back during the dry.
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked tropicbreezent
stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
8 years ago
Those are looking California. I had the Acanthocereus for 20 years or more..then a virus killed it. Or,that was just its lifespan in a pot. It had a nice trunk on it even if it never got taller then 2'? Like a Bonsai Cereus peruvianus in looks.
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a)
Original Author
8 years ago
I keep my collection potted and on baker's racks on a covered porch. They get full morning only sun and indirect sunlight the rest of the day. They all seem happy enough.

This year, I am going to begin acclimating the spiny cactus to full all day sun ... Hopefully, some will bloom for me. I'll just have to keep them on a tray and be ready to pull them in when it rains.

So far, only this gymno and these two colors of Schlumbergera truncata have bloomed for me. I miss seeing all my colors of TC and CC bloom. They require a cold period to set bud but it never goes under 68 overnight here, and only in Jan / Feb. Maybe they'll acclimate over time. I hope to see some of the ones I acquired in this swap bloom in the coming years ... They apparently do in this climate.

Maria Elena
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
8 years ago
Most of mine are Mexican desert cacti, some of which I have had for 20 years. They are in a gritty mix with a good amount of limestone, and receive the full Mediterranean sun. Which they love, because it is what they get in habitat.